This invention relates to foamed processed meat foods and a process for producing the same. Because of having been foamed, the foods of the present invention are characterized by soft texture and are easy to eat.
1. Background Art
Meat matches well modern eating habits and, therefore, meat per se and processed meat products are both widely popular. Processed meat products involve various meats, for example, ham, sausage, bacon, corned beef and roasted pork. These processed products have the inherent structure and crisp texture of meat. In recent years, however some consumers have chosen softer foods and prefer processed ground meat foods to those having the characteristic texture of meat. However, there is no processed meat food with soft texture at the present time except hamburger steak and products similar thereto. Namely, although there are potential needs for soft processed meat products, there is no food satisfying this requirement in practice.
Under these circumstances, an object of the present invention is to provide novel processed meat foods having soft and light texture.
2. Disclosure of the Invention
Thus the present inventors have found that foamed processed meat foods having soft texture can be produced by mixing meat with sodium chloride under agitation (so-called xe2x80x9cshio-zurixe2x80x9d), foaming the resultant composition by stirring and then molding and heating it, thus achieving the above-mentioned object.
The meat to be used in the present invention may be an arbitrary one, so long as it is selected from edible ones (beef, pork, chicken, mutton, horse, rabbit, etc.). It is also possible to use two or more meats together. As usual, use is made of one or more meats such as beef, pork or chicken. If desired, the meat may be processed into ground meat, etc. so as to facilitate the processing. The meat may be used together with other materials such as fish meat.
To produce foamed products, it is necessary that the meat is first subjected to shio-zuri to thereby solubilize proteins, thus facilitating the subsequent foaming by stirring. The shio-zuri operation may be performed by a method commonly employed in the art. In the step of shio-zuri, the concentration of sodium chloride is regulated preferably to 2 to 4% based on the meat. At such a concentration, proteins in the meat can be efficiently solubilized and an appropriate saltiness can be imparted to the final product. In addition to sodium chloride, other components may be used in this step, so long as the effects of sodium chloride are not inhibited thereby. For example, use may be made therefor of sweeteners, seasonings, etc., as will be described hereinafter. The shio-zuri can be carried out by using an apparatus usually employed therefor, for example, a food cutter, an attritor or a silent cutter.
The foaming by stirring, which is the subsequent procedure, may be conducted either batch-wise or continuously. In a batch process, use may be made therefor of an attritor, a silent cutter or a high-speed cutter. In a continuous process, it is possible to use, for example, a continuous pin mixer described in JP (Kokoku) Sho 63-63190 (FIG. 2). By using the continuous process, the product can be efficiently produced without any suspension. The foaming is carried out so that the final product has a specific gravity of from 0.3 to 0.95, preferably from 0.4 to 0.8, still preferably from 0.5 to 0.75, and from 0.5 to 0.6 in the most desirable case. When the product has a high specific gravity due to poor foaming, it has a high gel strength and relatively hard texture. Namely, an excessively high specific gravity is inappropriate for processed foods with soft texture. On the other hand, a product having a low specific gravity due to rich foaming shows a low gel strength and soft texture. However, the air-content and specific gravity may be appropriately controlled depending on the desired texture and physical properties of the product.
A foaming agent may be added to the meat composition prior to the foaming by stirring. The foaming agent can elevate the viscosity of the composition and thus allow to maintain air bubbles incorporated therein as such during stirring. It may be selected from various foaming agents which are suitable for edible use and exert no undesirable effect on other steps of the present invention. Examples of the foaming agent usable in the present invention include yam, egg albumen, thickening polysaccharides (guar gum, etc.) and emulsifiers. Any one of these foaming agents or a mixture thereof may be employed. The amount of the foaming agent varies depending on the air content. That is to say, the amount of the foaming agent employed is increased with an increase in the foam volume. To the foamed composition, side materials (seasonings, sweeteners, starch, bread crumbs, etc.) may be added. Furthermore, solid matters such as vegetable and meat pieces may be added to the foamed composition.
The molding is performed by a method commonly employed in the art with the use of a molding machine, etc. For example, the foamed composition is shaped into balls, ovals, etc. depending on the desired final product. The heating is also carried out in a conventional manner, for example, frying, steaming, boiling or roasting. These procedures maybe appropriately combined with each other depending on the desired final product.
The production process as described above may further involve additional steps. For example, additives (sweeteners, seasonings, starch, bread crumbs, vegetables, etc.) may be added at an appropriate step. Moreover, ground meat or meat blocks may be added to the foamed composition. The types and amounts of these additives may be appropriately selected within the scope known by those skilled in the art, so long as the specific gravity of the final product falls within the range of from 0.3 to 0.95. The addition timing is not particularly restricted too. In particular, sweeteners, seasonings, etc. may be added either before or after the foaming by stirring. The production process of the present invention may involve additional procedures.
To further illustrate the present invention in greater detail, the following Examples will be given.